Brake beam support



Aug. 30, 1932. C. F. HUNTOON 1,875,240

BRAKE BEAM SUPPORT Aug. 30, 1932- c. F. HuNTooN 1,875,240

' BRAKE BEAM SUPPORT Filed Jan; 15. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Zz-wen??? 'W/nPatented Aug. 30, 1932` CHARIEs F. noN'rooN, or sAN MARINO, CALIFORNIABRAKE :BEAM surronr vApplication med January 15,1930. *serial No.420,941.

- My invention relates to' brake gears fory railway cars of the classemploying 'brake shoe carrying brake'beams and has for itsV object theprovision of means formaintaim "5 ing the brake beams level. rIhesebeams are uusually arranged in pairs, there being a live lever foroperating one of the'lbrake beams of a pair, a dead lever for operatingthe other beam, and a connecting rod joining the lower i ends of thebrakelevers'. Each of these brake "beamsis inclusiveof a compressionmember,

a tension member and a strut interposed be- K tween intermediateportions of these members. The brake beams are suspended from is linksVwhich are carried by the side iframes of the truck to which the brakebeams are supplied. The tendency is for thebrake beamsto sag kat' theends of the struts which engage the tension members. The device of myVinvention prevents such sagging;v

In carrying out my invention I employ a leveling bar in conjunction witheach brake beam. This leveling bar is supported at an intermediate.place upon and `beneath the spring plank ywhich overlies such bar. Iproi is fixed upon and,beneath the spring plank 'andwhich carries theholding formation that is provide'd'uponthe spring plank, and which alsocarries a pinwhich is engaged "U with the leveling bar to maintainengagement oi the .holding formations,thisbracket hav- Ing a throataccessible at the margin of the spring plank that is adj acent the brakebeam Aand'.through which throat theleveling bar p l is passed Vintoassembly with the 'spring plank, the bottom wall `of thethroat being insupporting relation to the leveling bar.

I will explain my invention more fully by reference to the accompanyingdrawings in which Fig. 1 is a plan view ofaportion of beam. I.kdesirably employ a bracket which y one form of truck yshowing thepreferred embodiment of the invention employed in connection therewith;Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a detailsectional view illustrative of the invention; 5 Fig. 4 is a bottom viewof the structure shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a perspective v iew of oneelement of the invention; and Fig. 6 is a sectional view on line 6 6 ofFig. 3.

The truck is equipped with side frames 1, 60 2 of any suitableconstruction, which carry bearings that receive the ends of the axles 3tor the car 4wheels 4l that thus carry the side frames. The spring plank5 is carried upon the lower portions of the side frames and 66 carriessuitable spring mechanism, not shown, whichsupports the truck bolster 6,This bolster is provided with the female member 7 of the center' bearingwhich receives r the male center bearing member 8 that is pro- 70 videdupon the bottom of the body bolster 9. A king pin 10 depends from thecenter bearing member '8 and passes through the center bearing member 7and the portion of the truck bolster below this latter member. 'l5 Aportion 11 ofa car body is shown upon the body ,bolster` Each brake beamillustrated is inclusive of two cambered compression members 12 and 13located between the axles, tworods 50 14 and 15, respectively connectedwith the ends of said members 12 and 13 and constituting truss tensionmembers, and two struts 16 andi? respectively interposed betweenmid-portions of the compression and 85 tension members of the beams.rIhe truck bolster and spring plank are between the beams. A brake head18 is secured upon each end of each of the brake beams. Brake hangers inthe Jform of links 19 depend from the 90 upperportions of the sideframes and carry the brake beams in the region of the compressionmembers 12, 13, said hangers being suitably received, at their lowerends, in notches provided in the brake heads. Brakes 9 in the form ofshoes 20 areV carried upon the brake heads in al position to be appliedto the car wheels when the trussed brake beams are moved toward thewheels.

The brake actuating and releasing rod 21 W Vbetweenv its ends at `23with the vstrut 16k through which thisy lever desirably passes. Thelower end of this lever is pivotally connected, ata selected place, withoney end ofV the connecting l rod 24as 'indicated-at 25.

The other end of this connecting rod is sim- '.or stopy beingpivotallyconnected, at its inner end, with the bracket 31 whichislcarried ybythe Atruck bolster. The'brake Vbeam havilarlyv connectedwith the lower end ofthe dead brake lever 26, asindicated at 27 Thelever 26 is pivotally' connectedg'fbetween its ends, with the strut 17,vas indicated aty 28. The upper end of the dead lever'26is'co'nnected ata selected place with the dead leverl gui de orstop 29, as indicated at30, this yguide ing the member 12 is kdirectly controlled .by

ly control the movement of the brake beam -'having the membery 13.throughthe intermediation ofthe connecting rod. 24:, *the deadflever 26andstrut 17. Bracket-S32 are fixed upon;-

"andffbeneath' the. spring plank. c There are desirablytwofsuch bracketson each longitudinalrv side of the kspring plank about half -1wayfbetween the middle' andthe ends of f. the brake beam, each beamVhaving twoy `such brackets individual Athereto?lilach bracket; vhas a.throat 33;which-r is accessiblelat'the Lgn'i'argin of thespringplankthat is adjacent the corresponding brake beam. 'Each bracketis in supporting relation to -a'leveling bar at its-outer portion-topermit depression of vthe inner end of the" leveling bar and the vthesides ofthe corresponding levelingV bar andthe holding .formationsy 36Varein the form c .oflugswhich' are free of attachment at their u bottomfacesto,permit` of the i-nterengage- 50.' ment of the complemental ivholding forma- Y.

tions.' In' the preferred. embodiment of the elevation of the outer-endof'thebaras the innerbar end is'bein'g adjustedto bring the holdingformationy thereon intol position tok be engaged with the holdingformation upon the bracket following `the depression ,of the Vouter-endof` the' bar into' brake beamV levelfing.. position. The bottomwallofthe throat- Y' supports the leveling bar that is turned 'thereon .intoposition;r Each` bracket'desirably has depending side walls 37 between`which the inner endof the corresponding leveling bar iS. resrs'd- *Thse.depending .sidewalls are'provided with apertures 38 located just belowthe vnormal level lof the'inner end lof` the corresponding leveling bar.A headed /retaining pin 39ispassed through .eachpair of apertures'SStomaintain" the corresponding leveling bar and bracket in assembly. rIlheleveling bars are` desirablyfinthe form 'of slightly resilient plates.,AInorder that porting relation with the brake beams, I prolv-ide'such-'beams with-arms 40 which are also desirablyin the forml ofslightly 'resilient (these bars orplates may have desired supplates."The unattached ends'of these arms p i V.underlie the ytension' membersof the brake leveling bars when these bars arein` position, f

these barsbeing beneathV said arms. A u

Ch anges1may-bemade without ydeparting 4 .from the invention.v y l the..live lever 22 and strut 16 which indirect- Having thus described myinvention, (I claim:

n 1. In abrake beam sup portthe combinac tion with a brake beam ;v ofaresilientelement fixed-thereto and extending forwardly there` fof; aspring plank; a bracket :fixed uponand Y Y ybeneath the spring plank,said bracket having .Y j

al throat accessible at the vmargin of the spring Y -plank-:a resilientlevelling bar Vadapted to be passed through said throat into assemblywith the spring`v plank, vthe bottom wall fof .the throat being insupporting relation to the leveling bar and the throat passagebeingswidupon-depression 4first of Atheginn erv yand kthen of the.outer'ends of thebansaid bar being adapted upon depression of its outerend to engagesaid resilient element foryieldingly v supporting the brakebeam.

tion with a mounting, kof a bracket fixed upon and beneath the mounting,said bracket having a throat accessiblelat-themarginfof theV mounting; aleveling bar adapted to bepassed through said throat .intol assemblywiththe mou1iting,-the bottomwallof thethroaty be- 'ingV in su'pnortingrelation-to theleveling bar "invention each throat-passage`33 is `widened*and ththlolt'npassae-being Widenedftts ened at its outer portion torpermitr d epres'-y y v Y sion of theinner end of the leveling' bar and'V elevation of the outer end of the bam-and holding formations on said`bracket" and ,said` barladaptedjto be brought Vinto engagement` 2.111'abrakebeamsupport, the combinai outer` vportion to permitdepression'of-the in- "i vnerend of the leveling baliand elevation of4 li i fV the `outer'end ofthe bar; andy holding forma-v y.tions on saidbracket and said baradapted izo to be brought into-,engagement upondepression firstof the inner and then of the` outer ends of the1bar.1 y1 r3. In abrake beam support, the combina- Y ing a throat accessible atthe margin of the mounting a leveling bar adaptedto be passed i throughsaidthroat into assembly with the mounting, the bottom wall of the.throat .being iso in supporting relation to the leveling bar and thethroat passage being widened at its outer portion to permit depressionof the inner end of the leveling bar and elevation of the outer end ofthe bar vand holding formations on said bracket and said bar adapted tobe brought into engagement upon depression first of the inner and thenof the outer ends of the bar, said holding formations including notchesin the sides of the leveling bar.

4. In a brake beam support, the combination With a mounting; of abracket fixed upon and beneath the mounting, said bracket having athroat accessible at the margin of the mounting; a leveling bar adaptedto .be passed through said throat into assembly with the mounting, thebottom Wall of the throat being in supporting relation to the levelingbar and the throat passage being widened at its outer portion to permitdepression of the inner end of the leveling bar and elevation of theouter end of the bar; holding formations on said bracket and said baradapted to be brought into engagement upon depression first of the innerand then of the outer ends of the bar, said holding` formationsincluding notches in the sides of the leveling bar; and a pin adapted tobe passed through the bracket and beneath the inner end of the levelingbar, to maintain the parts in assembly.

5. In a .brake beam support, the combination With a brake beam; of aresilient element fixed thereto and extending forwardly there-l of; anda resilient member underlying the brake beam and engaging said resilientelement for yieldingly supporting said brake beam.

6. In a brake beam support, the combination of a bracket; a throat insaid bracket; a lug in said throat; a bar adapted for longitudinal andangular movement in said throat, the bar being snugly received in saidthroat; a notch in said bar adapted to engage said lug to lock said baragainst longitudinal movement; and means pressing upon the bar at itsend opposite said notch With a Wall of the throat as a fulcrum forspringing the bar into engagement with said lug.

In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name.

CHARLES F. HUNTOON.

